PhD student runs windows on smartwatch in bizarre technological feat

In April 2023, Gustave Monce, a PhD student from Bordeaux, France, announced a creative project aimed at getting Windows to run on an Android smartwatch, specifically the Google Pixel Watch 3. Known for his prior achievements in running Windows on unconventional devices, including his DuoWOA project on the Microsoft Surface Duo, Monce's latest endeavor marks a significantly ambitious yet whimsical challenge. The project was shared publicly on April Fools' Day, which aligns with the project's amusing nature but highlights the innovative spirit behind it. Furthermore, he has had success in other projects, such as LumiaWOA, aimed at executing Windows on the Nokia Lumia 950 series. Monce uses an Arm64 build of Windows PE (Preinstallation Environment) to initiate this process on the smartwatch, leveraging the device’s capabilities. However, although the tech community is intrigued, the current project remains in the early stages and has issues that are yet to be resolved. Monce’s advancements are both an exploration of technology’s boundaries and a reflection of modern tech culture's quirky side, leaving a mix of excitement and skepticism among viewers regarding the feasibility of running a full-fledged operating system on a device meant for simpler tasks. While the undertaking may appear frivolous, it is emblematic of the ongoing trend of leveraging advanced software on minimal hardware to push the limits of technology. The overall feasibility and practicality of the project remain under scrutiny, yet it certainly embodies a spirit of creative experimentation in the tech world.